Play The Game

by Casey Crisp

  In the meantime, I found Aria waiting by the door, reading something from her phone. “I think it’s the fourth quarter and they’re down by twenty,” she informed me.

  “I guess that means we shouldn’t expect another trophy ceremony,” I nodded with a chastened sigh. “How’s Nicole?”

  “She’s in the mood to talk,” Aria grinned. “What about Brynn?”

  “The opposite,” I replied. “Will you wait with her until my mom arrives? Also, you need to call Alex and tell him to wait until our mom is out of the room before he barges in like some sort of knight in shining armor.”

  “Alex is coming?” Aria seemed surprised.

  “He texted me earlier,” I said. “Why? You didn’t know?”

  Aria shook her head. “I haven’t heard anything about it, but I guess I’m glad that he knows.”

  “I think he knows everything.”

  “It makes sense.”

  The affirmation struck a nerve because I didn’t want to deal with school drama. Aria laughed at my obvious revulsion, the noise sounding faint from behind me. Well, at least she found it amusing.

  My youngest sister was sitting up in bed when I walked into her room, chatting away with Skyla. “Oh, Rose!” She greeted me excitedly. “Skyla told me that Miranda’s planning to throw us a party to celebrate our win!”

  “Well, I think we deserve it after losing so many soldiers.”

  Nicole scoffed, leaning back against her pillows. “I’m doing just fine. What we should be worried about is how horrible I’ll look tomorrow after I’m denied a full night’s sleep!”

  As part of the procedure, the doctor had explained that Nicole could not sleep during the first 24 hours after sustaining her concussion. My sister had immediately requested full access to her phone and as many gossip magazines as the hospital owned. “It could be worse,” I said, taking the unoccupied chair next to her bed. “Mom is almost here.”

  “So it is worse,” Nicole joked. “Does Brynn know?”

  “She’s just as thrilled as you are.”

  “Mom just has the tendency to overreact,” Nicole said. “Her first question will likely concern whether or not we can still play basketball.”

  My sister was perceptive as usual. “It’s just part of her never-ending obsession with our future. She’s convinced basketball is our only path to college.”

  “Right,” Nicole said softly, slowly braiding together a strand of her hair. “Just basketball.”

  I picked up on her deflated tone. “Is that no longer a good thing?”

  “Maybe not,” Nicole shrugged. “I’ve had two concussions and I’m worried that another one might mean more than an overnight stay in the hospital.”

  I understood where she was coming from, having heard plenty of horror stories when it came to athletes and concussions. “Just don’t try playing football or anything.”

  “You’re hilarious, Rose,” Nicole exclaimed with a dramatic flourish of her wrist. “You always know the right thing to say.”

  Skyla giggled from the other side of my sister. “I’m sure everything will work out, Nicole.”

  “And even if it doesn’t,” I added, “basketball isn’t the only thing that matters.”

  Nicole nodded, taking on a serious look. “To be honest, it might be nice to get into college for something else.”

  “I think you’re justified in saying that at this point.”

  Nicole seemed contemplative as she messed with the edges of the sheets thrown messily over her body. “There’s always mom to worry about.”

  My phone dinged in my pocket, revealing an incoming text from Alex. He must’ve already been on the way to the hospital before he even texted me. “It’s better to deal with it soon, right?”

  Nicole gave me a questioning look as I held up my phone. “I’m going to have mom come in here first so that I can sneak Alex into Brynn’s room.”

  “Rose!” Nicole whined petulantly. “You’re going to leave me here alone with her?”

  “Unless Beckett is also trying to visit?” I grinned. “I think he’s too busy blowing a basketball championship.”

  Skyla laughed even as Nicole looked thoroughly unamused. “That isn’t nice.”

  My phone started ringing in my hand. “Hey, mom, I’m in Nicole’s room. You should come see her first. She’s still a little out of it.”

  Nicole stuck her tongue out at me, whining my name even after I left the room.

  ***

  I met my mother at the elevators, and I was instantly perturbed by the anguished look she managed, glancing down both ends of the hallway. “Which room is your sister’s?”

  “212,” I replied, watching as she started in that direction, leaving me to escort Alex into Brynn’s room unnoticed.

  My sister let out a deep sigh when I told her that Alex had arrived. “That’s fine,” was all she said.

  “Do you want me to leave?” I asked. “I can keep mom occupied with Nicole.”

  “No,” Brynn declined. “Stay here with me.”

  I didn’t try to argue, anticipating Alex’s arrival while we enjoyed our last moments of silence together. In true character fashion, Alex opened the door with more force than necessary, adorned head to toe in dress clothes that only rightfully suited him. His brown eyes were narrowed, looking between me and Brynn with a guarded expression. “Brynn,” he greeted my sister, taking his place next to her bedside as if he belonged there.

  “Alex.” She sighed, and he closed his eyes as if thinking.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, worry creeping across his features as he glanced down at the place where he knew Brynn’s ankle was tightly wrapped.

  “I’m fine,” she replied. “It’s just a sprain.”

  He seemed visibly relieved, sinking down into an unoccupied chair. His hands immediately sought Brynn’s, and I was surprised when my sister allowed the contact instead of trying to push him away. His chin rested on the rail attached to the hospital bed, looking up at her and sharing something between them that I wasn’t meant to understand. “There’s some things that I want to talk to you about,” he said.

  “Things?” Brynn asked distractedly, and I watched as her eyes scanned over his face as if looking for something that she still couldn’t find.

  “Some things you might’ve heard.” Alex winced. “I’m not going to do anything to her.”

  Brynn was quiet for a moment. “Sydney?”

  “I know you don’t want that,” Alex said. “You’re hurt and I don’t want you to worry about anything else.”

  “You’re sweet sometimes,” Brynn admitted, and I snickered into my hand to disguise the sound. Because such sentiment was very uncharacteristic of Brynn, and I blamed the ugly bruises decorating her ankle beneath a mass of stifling bandages.

  The words, however, seemed to please Alex whose countenance brightened as he ran a thumb soothingly along my sister’s hand. “When did they say you could leave?”

  “Tomorrow morning,” Brynn said. “You would think that they’ve taken enough blood.”

  Alex frowned. “Do you not like it?”

  “Brynn hates needles,” I inserted, catching both of them off-guard as if they had been completely lost in their own little world.

  “I’ll take care of it,” Alex said determinedly and Brynn laughed, something truly warm reflecting in her eyes.

  “You always say that.”

  “Because I mean it,” he insisted fiercely. “Didn’t I promise you that?”

  “You might have,” Brynn teased him. “But you always say a lot.”

  “Well, that’s one thing I would’ve promised,” Alex said, shifting forward in his chair just enough to escape the barrier of the rail and settle closer to Brynn. “Do you want this?”

  “I don’t mind,” Brynn said, and I chose to slip out of the room before my sister realized that she had willingly opened up in front of Alex.

  ***

  “It’s like a game,” Aria laughed breathlessly
as we returned to Brynn’s room later on that evening.

  “I’m exhausted,” I sighed. “There’s too many people to deal with.”

  Shortly after the men’s basketball tournament finished, some of the players had decided to visit the hospital. I refused to believe that it was solely because of Brynn and Nicole. Actually, it was probably because our entire team, including a very brief appearance from Sydney and her friends, remained inside the hospital for additional support. Miranda had booked us a hotel near the hospital so that everyone could visit Brynn and Nicole as if they were going through remission instead of relatively minor bumps.

  “It’s tiring,” I half-heartedly complained, but I knew that it really wasn’t so problematic to wander back and forth between my sisters’ rooms. Traffic moved steadily down the lone hallway separating Nicole and Brynn, constantly filled with basketball players who were treating the occasion like a very special overnight visit.

  Alex and Beckett were the only two permanent fixtures in either room. For example, Alex had made himself comfortable on the bed next to Brynn, leaving only once to accommodate our mother before returning. Beckett did much the same, lounging around Nicole’s room and looking thoroughly relieved when Nicole insisted on her good health.

  Mom finally left later that evening, surprising me when she claimed that she could stay at the hospital. But Nicole and Brynn assured her that they were fine, and Miranda also convinced her that there were more than enough visitors walking around the facility. Especially since it was painfully obvious that the other doctors and nurses were rather inconvenienced by the constant noise.

  “Hello again,” Aria greeted Brynn as we re-entered her room. My sister watched us through heavy eyelids, exhaustion clear on her face.

  Alex was curled against her side, one arm wound tightly around her waist while he settled his chin into the crook of her neck. Skyla chuckled when Aria sat down next to her. “He hasn’t really moved much from that spot.”

  I was actually impressed by his actions because he seemed genuinely content next to my sister. “You know you don’t have to stay here,” Aria told Skyla. “Everyone is probably tired.”

  “Speaking of which!” Skyla said, straightening up from where she was slouching. “Where is everyone?”

  “Nicole’s room mostly,” I said. “Nicole is a lot more entertaining than Brynn.”

  “I heard that,” my sister grumbled, frowning as she tried to focus on us through eyes that were on the verge of slumber.

  “Nicole was given drugs to help her stay awake,” I said. “You were given a lot of morphine.”

  Brynn grunted. “It’s not my fault.”

  “No,” I agreed, watching my sister fondly. “Just try to sleep, alright?”

  Alex hummed from next to her, pressing a gentle kiss to the side of Brynn’s temple. “I’ll be here.”

  I smiled because it was an affectionate gesture.

  “Where’s Ryder?” Skyla asked.

  “I sent him to get actual coffee,” I replied. “The hospital doesn’t seem to appreciate good caffeine.”

  “He went to the Starbucks down the street,” Aria also supplied. “He was nice enough to get me something too.”

  Skyla laughed. “Well, would it have been too far-fetched to assume that he went back to the hotel? I heard he played harder than anyone else.”

  “I’m proud of them for making it this far.”

  We were all silent for a moment, and I watched Alex as he ran his fingers through my sister’s hair. The motion itself was soothing, and I couldn’t imagine how good it made Brynn feel. As such, I was certainly glad to have Alex around.

  Graciously, the smell of coffee pulled me from my near-sleep reverie. “You life saver!” I exclaimed, taking the cup from Ryder.

  He smiled kindly as he handed Aria her drink. “Thanks, Ryder.”

  He settled down next to me, inhaling the sweet scent of his beverage while closing his eyes in appreciation. “There’s something nice about this, even if we are in a hospital.”

  I heard laughter from somewhere outside of the room, and I smiled when Ryder’s fingers brushed against mine. Because looking around the room, in the presence of the people I acknowledged as my friends, I imagined that there was no better way to end our season.

  ◆◆◆

  Acknowledgements

  I started writing this book when I was still a sophomore student in college. Subsequently, I continued to revisit the manuscript sporadically over the years, wondering if it might be possible for me to finish the story one day. Thankfully, I never abandoned this book, even though I sometimes felt like it would never become anything significant.

  Unfortunately, a lot of people give up on their dreams because they think that traditional publishing is the only defined route to success. Of course, when I discovered that this was simply not true, I found it easier to write because I knew that there was a platform for my stories. Likewise, I won't allow popular consensus to derail me any longer, and I plan to self-publish even more books in the future.

  Moreover, I want to thank a lot of very important people in my life because they never questioned me when I would spend hours in front of my computer screen. Firstly, I want to thank my parents who deserve so much praise for raising me to believe that I could do anything that I wanted. They truly inspire me with their powerful presence in my life. Additionally, I want to give a special shout-out to my sister because she made me laugh when I grew frustrated with myself on multiple occasions. Perhaps in the future, we can write something together.

  Finally, I want my friend Abigail to know that I deeply value her company because she managed to stick with me throughout these years despite the effects of time and distance. I was always encouraged since I kew that my friend would at least read my writing, even if nobody else ever would.